Cleaning apparatus



Dec. 29, 193.1. l R. H. CRAMER 1;s39,172

' CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June 6, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i. Figzl.

46 H/S' A TTU/@NE R. H. CRAMER GLEANING APPARATUS Dec. 29, 1931c I Filed June s. :was :5 sheets-sheet 2 Fvg-.4. /f L d? H/s. ATTURNEX Dec. 29, 1931. n I R, H, CRAMER 1,839,172 v CLEANING APPARATUS -Filed June e, '1928 s sheets-sheet 5 Patented nec. 29.1931

- UNITED ,STATES PATENT oFFl'cE RAYIOND H. OF NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO4 GENEAL MOTORS COB- y PORATTON, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE 'v CLEANING APPARATUSA application mea :une e,

' .This invention relates to cleaning apparatus andcomprises all the features of novelty 4herein disclosed. In the manufacture of antifriction bearings, metal particles and other 6 foreign matter adhere to the parts and must be removed before shipping the bearings. Magnetization, and the grease and oil with which the parts come in contact increase their liability to accumulate extraneous matterand,v

when the bearings are roller bearings h aving helically wound hollow rollers, the intersticesof therollers also provide lodgement 4for such foreignY matter. An object of the invention is yto provide improved cleaning apparatus for revoluble articles such as anti friction bearings. Another object is to provide improved supporting and feedingvdevices for articles such as roller bearings t0 e Fig. 4 avroller assembly comprising end rings cally wound'hollow rollers 8 sleevedon facilitate the cleaning action of a jet of clean-l in fluid.

o these Lends and to im rove enerally and in detail upon devices o this c aracter, the invention also consists in the various matters hereinafter described andy claimed.

In its broader aspects, the invention is not 'necessarily limited to the specific embodimentselected for illustration in the accompanying'drawings in which.

Fig. 1 is a front view of the apparatus with the carrier in section and with front wall broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view.

part= of the v, Fig. 3 is'a side view with the carrier in` another position and (partly in section.

Fig. 4 isa magnifie perspective viewof an .article to be cleaned, one ofthe rollers" being omitted. L .L

Fig. 5 is a front view of the demagnetizer.

h' Fig. 6 is a detail view of the cleaning nozzles and associated parts. f Y l Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 o# Fig. 6, enlarged.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of details at the unloading station.

As a typical example of the article to be cleaned,there is shown to a large scale in 4 rigidly connected by tie bars 6 with 1\aeli the 192B. Serial No. 283,175. y

tie bars.. The articles are loaded one-by-one on inclined trunnions or posts of a rotary carrier which carries them first through a demagnetizing field and then into a steam chamber; station between a )air of nozzles so arran ed as to cause jets o, steam to strike the ro ler Each article travels t'o a cleaningv assembly at an angle thereby causin the roller assembly. to rotate on the post an also causing the individual rollers themselvesto rotate on their axes. The steam jets cut or burn off the grease and blow off the particles of foreign matter, rotation of the article and its individual rollers aiding in throwinv` the particles away from the bearing. v lach artic-le is thenJ carried intoA a drying chamber "and then out to an unloading station where. a cam causes the roller assemblies tobelifted from the posts.

The supporting stand comprises an angle iron 10 of substantially semicircular form connected by angle plates 12 to vertical legs 14, the ends of the angle iron-10 being connected at the front by La straight angle iron 16. A bearing block 18 having vertical webs 19 is bolted to gusset plates 20 which are connected b v horizontal radial 'arms 22 to the legs 14 through the agency of (gusset platesv 24 and angle plates 26. Incline adial bracing arms 28 also extend from the sset plates 20 to the legs 14. The bearing lock 18 has -an annular flange 30 and a portion 32 supe to 'a flange of t e hub 36 and having their outer ends bent downwardly and secured to a continuous ring 44..- The ring is dished and is'preferabl made of brass or some nonmagneticv material and su ports aseries of 4upwardly and outwardlymclined trunnions or posts 46, preferably of brass. Each post carries a pair of oppositeantifriction rolls 48 to support the article for rota-tion by fengagement with one of the end rings 4 as indicated in Fig. 6. Each post is of such di- `ameter asto freely enter the opening between the circular series of individual bearing rollers 6 and is a smooth cylinder, thereby forming a trunnion on whic the bearing assembly can rotate when subjected to the action of steam jets, the trunnion serving as a raceway for the bearing rollers to roll upon. w When a roller assembly has been thus sleeved over one of the posts at the front of the machine, itis carried rst to a demagnetizer comprising a yoke 50 having coils 52 and a pair of pole pieces 54 spaced apart to provide a field through which the article passes, as indicated in Fig. 5. Thedetails of the demagnetizer may be varied and it is supported in any suitable way, its function being to demagnetize the roller assembly and the metallicl particles sticking to it and so facilitate the release of said particles.

Each article is neXt .carried to a cleaniner station where it is received between a pair 0I nozzle casings 56 having orifices 58 in the form of elongated slits extending lengthwise of the bearing assembly and directed subn stantially towards the periphery on opposite sides of the axis of rotation. Each nozzlecasing is flattened at the sides but increases t0 in width outwardly so that the narrow steam passage therein gradually becomes tubular for threaded attachment to a swivel pipe 60. The pipes 60 are attached to a branch coul pling 62 carried by a pipe 64 which is attached to an elbow 66 extending through a steam chamber wall to a steam supply pipe 68 having a pressure gauge70 and a throttle valve 72. The two swivel pipes 60 extend towards diametrically opposite sides of the bearing 43 assembly and the nozzles can swivel thereon to adjust the direction of the jets of steam at the most eicient angle for rotating both the bearingassembly 'and the individual rollers thereon andv blowing out the particles o 4,5 foreign matter. Y The nozzles are enclosed by alvanized sheet iron in la steam chamber aving an arcuate side and rear wall 74 and a straight front wall 7 6 which is provided with a Lslot 78 to allow the carrier to rotate and to project out to the front for loading. The steam chamber also has a hood- 80 and a pipe 82 to exhaust the steam and is separated from a drying chambery 83 by a artition 84 having J5 a slot 86 for the carrier. he steam chamber "wall 74 has a hinged door 88 at the rear and a conical drain 90 1n the bottom. The drying chamber 83 is supplied `with dry air and also has a hood and a door. As the articles are d0, vcarried out of theydrying chamber they run against a fixed wedgeor cam 92which causes them to rise from the` inclined .posts and drop l into a receptacle. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cam is arranged just outside the circular series 4of posts or trunnions and its larticle and its adherin tion, and a nozzle for directing a jet of cleanupper face inclines from about the level of the rolls 48 to the level of the ends of the trunnions thereby to engage and lift outcoming articles from the posts.

1. In apparatus for cleaning rotatable artic'les, a movable carrier having a series of trunnions to act as the axes of rotation for the articles, rolls projecting from the trunnions to support the articles for rotation7 and a nozzle arranged at one side of the path of the articles for directing a jet of fluid against the articles to rotate and clean them.

2. In apparatus for cleaning rotatable articles, a movable carrier having a series of inclined trunnions to receive the articles one by-one to hold them for rotation, a nozzle arranged at the side of the ath of the articles for directing a jet o cleaning fluid against the articles successively, and a cam arranged in the path of the articles to lift them successively from the trunnions.

3. In apparatus for cleaning a rotary article which has a circular series of round members individually rotatable thereon, a trunnion for entering the opening at the cen ter of the circular series of members and having a smooth cylindrical surface acting as a raceway for the members and as a centering means for the article, article supporting means projectingv radiali from the trunnion to engage one end o the article, and a nozzle for directing a jet 4of cleaning lluid against the members at the side of their axes of rotation to successively rotate the members around their axes while the article carrying the individual members is rotated as a whole by the jet around the raceway provided by the trunnion. Y

4. In apparatus for cleaning an article, a movable carrier havin@ means for supporting the article, means for demagnetizing the material at one staing fluid against the article at another station for removing the adhering material.

5. In apparatus for cleaning rotary articles, a chamber having a front wall provided with a carrier opening, a rotary carrier traversing the chamber and having a segmental portion projecting through the opening, vthe carrier having a series of inclined article holders to receive and guide the articles for rotation, and a nozzle arranged at the side of the path of the articles for directing a jet of cleaning fluid towards the periphery of each article in its traverse through the chamber to thereby rotate the article and remove foreign matter therefrom.

6. .In apparatus for cleaning rotary articl'es, a movable carrier having a series of article holders to guide the articles for rotation around their axes, article supporting means projecting radially from each holder, and a pair of nozzles straddling the path of llO the articles, the nozzles bein i arran ed with their sprayopeningsdirecte out of ewith one another to direct jets of cleaning fluid substantially tangentially against opposite i sides of each artic e to yrota-te it on the holder in its traverse between the nozzles.

7. In apparatus for cleaning rotary articles, a-Inovable4 carrier having a serles of clined trunnions thereon to guide the articles for rotation, the trunnions having a plurality of radially projecting supporting Arollers to engage the ends of the articles, and a noz.-

zle arranged adjacent to the path of the articles, the nozzle comprising a flattened casing having an elongated spray opening extending lengthwise of the adjacent articles for directing a jet of cleaning' iiuid against the articles 'in their traverse with the carrier, the jet. ofiiuid being directed against all points of the articles in their traverse and thereby rotating the articles and removing foreign matter. y v

8. In apparatus ior cleaning rotary articles, a rotary carrier having a series of trunnions slantingv outwardly and upwardu ly to enter axial openings in the articles and guide them for rotation, the trunnions having radially projecting supporting rollers engaging the endsof the articles, and a nozzle arranged vadjacentto the path of the articles for directing cleaning fluid against the articles in their traverse with the carrier.

In testimony whereofl hereunto affix my signature.

vso RAYMOND H. CRAMER. 

